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Equipment
This page is about specific equipment and it's statistics. As a rule of thumb, settings are technologically backwards compatible. This means, if you for some reason want a piece of equipment found in the Medieval Fantasy section, even though it's a modern setting, it's most likely possible to get. Just a matter of changing the price. Spage Age Science-Fiction The equipment found in this section is very technologically advanced, and some of it might be setting specific. See prices in the original book that these are inspired from. Ammunition: A few worlds are too primitive or too resourcepoor to manufacture ammunition, but the vast majority of worlds provide cartridges in almost every conceivable caliber and make. Most local gunsmiths can load ammunition to any specification required by a buyer. Ammunition, missile: Some characters might have reason to pack along a man-portable rocket launcher, or have one mounted on their favorite gravcar. Heavy weapons and their ammunition are usually outlawed for civilians on most worlds, but this price is for those rare locales where missiles can be bought freely. Atmofilter This face mask can filter out most atmospheric toxins. Attaching a standard vacc suit oxygen bottle to a belt-mounted feed will also supply a breathable atmosphere for up to six hours. SWN Price: 500 Backpack Tech level 4 versions of this item are effectively without encumbrance, albeit they cost 50 credits. A worn backpack counts as a readied item, though objects stowed inside it still require the usual round to dig free. SWN Price: 50 or 500. Binoculars Standard 7x50 binoculars. Tech level 4 versions are available that have integral low-light optics and up to 25x150 power. TL 4 binoculars cost 200 credits and require a Type A power cell for up to a week of regular usage. SWN Price: 50 or 200. Climbing harness A collection of straps, ropes, pitons, and other climbing aids that grant a +2 bonus on any climbing skill test. Using a climbing harness is noisy, and any Stealth skill checks while climbing with one suffer a -2 penalty. SWN Price: 500 Comm server A powerful base unit for providing communications without involving or requiring comsats. The server provides service between compads within 30 kilometers of the unit. Server usage can be locked to specific compads, and all transmissions are heavily encrypted. SWN Price: 1000 Glowbug A palm-sized disc that can adhere to any non-porous surface. When turned on, it emits a white light, illuminating everything within ten meters for twenty-four hours. A hundred glowbugs can be recharged on a single Type A power cell. A slightly more expensive version exists that is solar powered. SWN Price: 5 Grapnel launcher This launcher fires a rope up to forty meters. The rope can bear up to a metric ton of weight, though extremely heavy weights or a precarious hit can cause the grapnel to pull free. A Type A power cell fuels six shots from a grapnel launcher. SWN Price: 200 Grav chute When this cylinder is strapped to a person or object and activated, it smoothly modulates falling speeds to a sedate 1 meter/second for up to 1000 meters. The chute can slow up to 300 kilos of weight. SWN Price: 1000 Low-light goggles These goggles provide a monochrome but serviceable view out to the wearer’s normal visual distance, provided that there is any illumination available at all. A Type A power cell will operate these goggles for a week. SWN Price: 1000 Mag-Boots Mag-boots can be installed into suit of armor, or be bought as a separate equippable item. Powere by two separate Type A Power Cells, the boots can walk up to 100 km before they require a new cell. It's the engaging and disengaging of the magnet that uses the most power, so if for some reason used to attach two things together, they can last incredibly long. SWN Price: 500 Creds. Navcomp A combination of low-tech compasses, automappers, astronomic charts, and gyroscopes packed into a flat, one-kilo case. A character with a navcomp will never get lost on worlds with GPS satellites. They can also make a crude but serviceable automatic map of all buildings or landscapes they travel through. Other terrestrial navigation skill checks are made at a +2 bonus. SWN Price: 500 Pressure tent This tent maintains a breathable atmosphere, tolerable temperature and serviceable sleeping quarters for up to five very friendly occupants. Advanced filtration and cracking tech allows a single standard vacc suit oxygen tank to provide breathable air for the occupants for up to 24 hours. The tent requires a Type A power cell for each day in which this filter is employed. SWN Price: 500 Rations Dried or otherwise preserved foodstuffs sufficient for one day. If water is not otherwise available, add another item’s worth of encumbrance for the water necessary for a person’s daily needs. SWN Price: 5 Rope Light and sturdy. A metatool can be used to cut and join the synthetics used in tech level 4 rope, which counts as one encumbrance item per 40 meters and costs 40 credits. SWN Price: 4 or 40 Scout report A collation of survey scans and merchant reports on a particular lost world or isolated colony. Scouting reports are available for all but the most unknown worlds and provide maps, basic information, and the equivalent of single success on a given roll to learn something about the world or location. It takes at least ten minutes of searching to make an attempt on any particular Culture skill check, however, and no language proficiency is given. Scout Reports is part of how merchants who travel outside the hyperlanes earn their money. SWN Price: 200 Solar recharger This recharger unfolds into a 2 meter by 2 meter square field of solar cells. Granted a primary star of roughly Earthlike intensity, it can recharge one Type A power cell per day. If used in space, it potentially works better, and can sometimes charge a Power Cell as fast as in a few minutes. SWN Price: 500 Survey scanner A multipurpose scanner that can take atmospheric and gravitic readings, provide basic chemical analysis of samples of up to one cubic centimeter in size, and record up to two hundred hours of video information or ten times that amount of audio. Science skill checks are necessary for any but the most basic analysis. SWN Price: 500 Survival kit A standard belt-worn kit with fire lighter, water filter, three thermal flares, knife, thermal blanket, a brightly-colored 3 x 3 meter waterproof tarp, a glowbug, and a radio beacon that can transmit a distress signal up to fifty kilometers for twenty-four hours on the included Type A power cell. Survival kits sold on a particular world will usually also include a small booklet on specific dangers or edible organics. Possession of a survival kit grants a +2 to all relevant Survival skill checks, assuming its contents are helpful on a given planet. Survival kits are well-organized, and count as only one item for encumbrance purposes. SWN Price: 500 Telescoping pole Retracting to a 30-centimeter baton, this pole extends and locks into a 3.048-meter extension that can bear as much as a thousand kilograms of weight. In a pinch, it can also serve as a club. SWN Price: 10 Thermal flare If triggered in one mode, the flare burns with a bright white light for two hours, illuminating up to twenty meters around the holder. If the guidance fins are extended first, the flare launches up to 200 meters and explodes in a bright white flash. A launched flare does 3d10 damage to anyone it hits and will light anything highly flammable struck on fire. SWN Price: 5 Trade goods Glowbugs, ceramic fire lighters, antibiotics, ceraplast tools, and the other fruits of a tech level 4 civilization that might be valuable on more primitive worlds. A kilo of trade goods can usually be traded for at least a hundred credits worth of local products on more primitive worlds that are not well-served by interstellar merchants. The profit margin shrinks rapidly as interstellar trade becomes more common, and there is always the difficulty of finding local products that are actually worth a merchant’s journey. SWN Price: 500 Trade metals The fruit of common tech level 4 asteroid mining, trade metals include gold, platinum, artificial gemstones, and other substances precious on many lost worlds and trivially valuable on spacefaring ones. A kilo worth of trade metals can be exchanged for as much as a thousand credits worth of local products on metalpoor worlds isolated from interstellar trade. Markets flood rapidly, however, and it usually doesn’t take more than a few merchant trips to persuade the locals to demand trade goods or credits. SWN Price: 1000 Vacc fresher This three-kilo tube filters and compresses atmosphere to refill vacc suit oxygen tanks. It can extract oxygen from any atmosphere which contains it, even in the form of carbon dioxide. Refilling a standard vacc suit tank requires ten minutes of operation and consumes one Type A power cell. Most vacc freshers are also equipped with an emergency hand crank power source, though it requires at least two hours of cranking to charge.SWN Price: 500 Vacc suit The standard tech level 4 vacc suit is designed to allow the wearer to survive in both hard vacuum and on most inhospitable planetary surfaces. The suit protects against ordinary levels of cosmic radiation and provides a temperature-controlled atmosphere. Vacc suits are equipped with radios that have a ten kilometer range. A vacc suit oxygen tank provides oxygen for 12 hours and requires one Type A power cell for each twelve hours of operation. Vacc suits are cumbersome, and apply a -2 penalty to all hit rolls and skill checks that require movement. Those with at least a single dot of Zero-G movement or a Power Armor Graft can ignore this penalty. No armor can be worn with a vacc suit except for an armored under-suit, and the suit itself grants armor of 5/0 to its wearers - relying on the undersuit for ballistic protection. Vacc suits have a self-healing exterior that can seal the puncture wounds caused by bullets, arrows, or energy beams, but a strike from an edged weapon can overwhelm the repair system. Suits are equipped with emergency repair patches, but it requires a turn’s action to apply one. Exposure to hard vacuum does 5d10 lethal damage after the first round of exposure. A Vacc Suit has an inbuilt metatool, an inbuilt Grav Chute, an inbuilt Grappnel Launcher, inbuilt Mag-Boots, inbuilt flash lights, inbuilt Commlink and an inbuilt Zero-G Pack. By law, even the smallest ships, excluding military fighters, must have at least one Vacc Suit on board. SWN Price: 15000 Vacc skin A Vacc Skin is a very compact version of a Vacc-Suit, but it's also known as an Emergency Vacc-Suit for a reason. The Vacc-Skin is normally (but not necessarily) combined with an armored undersuit. A vacc-skin requires a full-face helmet with inbuilt atmofilter or a separate atmofilter to actually function as a vacc-suit. It has no inbuilt magnetic boots or any or tools. Like a Vacc-Suit, it self-repairs, but it has no capability to properly dispense food or water, and can only ensure survival for a limited time. A Vacc Skin doesn't have as many inbuilt functions as a Vacc Suit, meaning it can last longer on a single Type A power cell, at least a week, but an atmofilter runs out of oxygen after only 6 hours. Vacc Skins usually have an inbuilt stasis function, which hardens the shell of the suit and prolongs an hours worth of oxygen to last at least a full 24 hours. Once the suit hardens the user becomes immobile, it grants a 5/3 armor rating and conserves what ever power is left to transmit an emergency message across all available frequencies. There is no inbuilt radio in a vacc-skin, but there is a small transmitter with a standardized morse-code. The Vacc Skin is capable of automatically equipping it's gloves, but the head and face is covered by a magnetic field, which is incredibly unpleasant, but buys a minute or two to find and equip an atmofilter. Vacc Skins, must by law, be worn at practically all times during interstellar travel. Atmo-Filters are either to be available in all rooms or carried on person at all times - though of course not to be worn when it isn't necessary. SWN Price: 500 credits Zero-G Pack A Zero-G Pack is similar to a jetpack, but used in space to travel across greater distances. A Zero-G pack uses super compressed gas that is released through small emission points, causing the user to propel forward or backwards. The gas isn't poisonous, but prolonged leaking in a small container can become problematic as the released gas isn't pressurized anymore. Operating a Zero-G Pack requires at least one dot of Zero-G movement. SWN Price: 2000 Credits Emergency Cache Emergency Caches are stored space stations and ships normally, and contains a pressure tent, 10 Type A Power Cells, 10 solar powered glowbugs, a Vacc Fresher, a Zero-G Pack (attached to the Pressure tent - but detachable), a pair of equippable Mag-boots, a meta tool (vacuum version), a long range emergency transmitter, a Grav Chute (attached to the pressure tent - but detachable), 5 extra oxygen containers for an atmofilter, one extra for a Vacc Suit, a survival Kit (packed to survive vacuum exposure), rations (including water) for a single person lasting 30 days, a Grapnell Launcher, a Medkit, a Lazerus Patch, 5 dozes of OD Anti Allergens, a Navcomp and a Solar Recharger. The Solar Recharger can either be used to charge Cells or, if inserted into the Pressure Tent, it will keep the tent functional, provided there is enough sunlight to normally operate a Solar Recharger. The Cache blows up the pressure tent as soon as it's exposed to vacuum, which is the primary function of the cache. This version of the Pressure Tent comes with a tiny airlock and is armored and flexible and will survive impact with sharp debris an and usually will survive a hull-breaching impact. They are notoriously difficult to destroy because they bounce, and the surface is very heat resistant and difficult to penetrate, but extended laser contact will rupture it. Smaller Ships usually only store these on board their lifeboats. On larger vessels, it's more common to find units like these separately installed. By law, one of these units must be present on a vessel per 5 passengers/Crew members. SWN Price: All of the included items plus 1000 credits. Bioscanner While an untrained user can use this tool to discern internal bleeding, gross physical distress, or toxins in a plant or animal, it requires a Medicine Skill check this tool to its fullest. It allows for a full spectrum of diagnosis and DNA sequencing to be done on subjects in a matter of minutes. One Type A power cell will power it for up to twenty-four hours of steady usage. SWN Price: 500 Lazarus patch A vital tool for adventurers, the lazarus patch is a heavy compress laced with antibiotics, coagulants, system stabilizers, plasma, and a one-shot diagnostic suite. If the patch is applied to a character that has died, the user can make a Medicine skill check to stabilize the subject. The more time between injury and application, the less chance the patch has to work. Each round after the first, an additional -1 penalty is applied to the skill check. The patch is no use after six rounds. If the medic fails the first skill check, they can keep trying the check once per round until the victim is revived or time runs out. Lazarus patches are no use on victims that have been mangled beyond surgical powers of repair. Only one patch can be applied to a victim. Revived victims are critically wounded until sufficient medical help has been tendered; see the Systems chapter for details. SWN Price: 100 Instapanel In its compressed form, an instapanel is a two-kilo cube of ceraplast five centimeters on a side. When a Type A power cell is inserted in the cube’s side, it immediately expands to an opaque, waterproof ceraplast sheet 2 meters on each side and a centimeter thick. Five minutes later the ceraplast hardens into a tough, rigid shape, but until then it can be folded or bent by hand. Instapanels can be bonded to one another with a metatool or a postech toolkit. Breaking an instapanel requires inflicting at least twelve points of damage on it. SWN Price: 10 Medkit Containins a broad supply of pharmaceuticals, spray bandages, glue sutures, and a succinct handbook of injury care, the medkit is designed for handling sudden and drastic injuries. It grants any user a +1 bonus on all Medicine skill tests for treating wounds, poisons, or diseases. It also contains all the necessary tools for providing long-term recuperative care for critically injured characters. SWN Price: 500 Metatool This wrist-mounted housing contains a myriad of small, useful tools designed to handle the widest possible range of technical needs. While a metatool is too limited to handle major jobs, it is usually sufficient to manage jury-rigged repairs and temporary fixes until the tech has time to apply a larger wrench to the problem. Vacuum versions exist, but are carried as a tool-kit instead and are much bigger – though an equally compact vacuum version is found installed as standard Equipment in a normal Vacc Suit. SWN Price: 500 Power cells One of the few standardized artifacts inherited from before the Silence, power cells are small cylindrical objects designed to take and hold electrical charges. Type A cells are usually used for personal equipment, and type B cells for vehicles and heavy gear. The engineering for the cells is substantially different, and they cannot be exchanged or recharge each other without a trained tech’s modifications or a converter unit. Power cells can be recharged on a ship’s power plant or other grid. Recharging requires 30 minutes for a type A cell or 24 for a type B cell. SWN Price: 10 for A, 100 for B. Tailored Antiallergens A dose of tailored antiallergens can be used to render a local world’s organics largely edible by humans. While many worlds have been seeded with Terran life forms or have produced organics that are edible by humans, others are toxic without the appropriate chemical augmentation. A dose of these antiallergens lasts for twenty-four hours. A variant, known as OD Anitallergens completely overloads the system, making the one who takes them, practically immune to anything they might come into contact with, except actual poison. They cause illness however, and a few weeks after taking the OD variant, prolonged medical care is necessary to survive. The OD variant lasts a week per dosage. SWN Price: 10 Telekinetic generator While this device assumes the presence of a trained telekinetic, it isn’t strictly psitech, as its operation is quite simple. A telekinetic user pushes a resistance bar within the generator, causing a flow of electricity to recharge an attached power cell. The psychic must keep up the telekinetic force for at least half an hour, thus requiring a rote in Telekinesis (Energy Discipline), only ten minutes of exertion is necessary. In an emergency, a character with at least Strength 2 can operate the generator manually, though they need to succeed on an extended Athletics skill check modified by Constitution in order to keep up the pace for an hour. Failure means that the character must rest for at least an hour before trying again. The generator can charge one Type A power cell at a time. SWN Price: 500 Toolkits Containing a wide range of necessary tools for a particular skill set, toolkits can handle most any job that doesn’t require a fullscale shop or lab. Most toolkits are specialized, and not terribly useful when turned towards other purposes. It might be possible to use one in place of another for simple jobs, but even that is liable to suffer at least a -1 penalty on the skill check. SWN Price: 500 or 1000 for Pretech. Argus web A set of almost invisible cameras and microphones worn by a subject. The web captures video and audio of the wearer’s surroundings for up to twenty-four hours before it must be downloaded onto a dataslab or wiped to make room for more. A normal Argus Web is pretty obvious, and doesn’t require a check to notice, but more covert variants exist, that will only be revealed through a successful perception check, or a search. SWN Price: 200 for normal - 500 for a covert. PDA A PDA is a very small handheld unit that is normally slaved to its users PIDU unit. They often have no direct means of interfacing with, and are essentially just small portable computers. A PDA is normally smaller than a modern smartphone and even a modern computer – Though lacking an interface, it’s way too demanding to run prolonged processes that require some sort of visual output to make sense, they need to be paired with a Dataslab to function properly, and with a Commlink to have any access to the grid. SWN Price: 500. Commlink Commlinks are small and discrete ear-pieces that link up to a PDA, making it capable of everything a modern cellular phone can accomplish. In the absence of a modern comm grid, it can reach other compads within one Kilometre. Commlinks can be built into helmets, atmofilters, suits and even rooms. SWN Price: 100 Dataslab The Dataslab, Datapad, tablet or what ever one opts to call it, is a portable input device for a PDA (which is a computer). Using a PIDU unti to mentally access information on a computer is certainly possible, but it requires a lot of concentration and can be tiring. Many, if not everyone, prefers having a separate unit to view their data on. A Dataslab is slaved to a single PDA, and has the option to be used to access, view and transmit data. It doesn't require a Commlink to create a private connection between itself and it's PDA, and can be used to safely shift through data, without contaminating the PDA with dangerous malware. SWN Price: 100 Dermofilm Originally intended for temporary tattoos and markings, dermofilms can also be shaped to assist in disguise usage. They remain permanently in place until removed with a strong alcohol solvent. SWN Price: 100 buys enough to cover an entire person from head to toe. Grav harness This advanced gravitic harness allows clumsy flight at a rate of 20 meters per round. It requires a Type B power cell to fuel it. It can only support 20 minutes of flight, but are mostly used for brief movements. The Mark of Special Forces soldiers. A Grav Harness can carry 500 kilos, and variants exist that can be strapped to a power armor and can carry even more. SWN Price: 5000. Holo unit ''' A palm-sized holoprojector capable of replaying audio, video, or holographic recordings. The device operates for 24 hours on one Type A power cell, if a fixed power source is not available. This function can optionally be built into a dataslab, but most people prefer to have it as a small separate unit, as it's more comfortable. SWN Price: 100. '''Portabox A small cube of ceraplast attached to an electronic keycard. When a Type A power cell is inserted, the portabox immediately unfolds into a rigid locker with 1.5 x 1 x 1 meter dimensions. The portabox is air-tight and has a simple electronic lock which can only be opened with the key card or a successful Electronics skill check. Failing the check will cause the lock to short-circuit and seal the box until it can be cut open with a metatool or broken open with twenty points of damage. SWN Price: 50 Translator Disc Each translator disc is keyed for two languages, and will automatically translate what it hears in one into speech in the other. The translations are eccentric in many cases, and there is always a several-second delay between each statement and its translation. Any attempts to exert social skills or Charisma through a translator Disc suffer a -2 skill check penalty. The Disc is inserted into a Dataslab and runs through a commlink and both participants in the conversation must be wearing a commlink in order to speak. SWN Price: Depending on the rarity of the languages involved, the price can vary. D10 - NWOD Revised 'Mental Equipment' Equipment granting a bonus to mental skills. This kind of equipment can be practically anything from books, electronics to tools and more. 'Automotive Tools ' Basic (Kit): Die Bonus +1, Durability 2, Size 2, Structure 3, Availability • Advanced (Garage): Die Bonus +2, Availability • Effect:Automotive tools are a ne-cessity for all but the simplest automobile repairs. Even then, a fully stocked ga-rage with heavy equip-ment is required for more involved tasks such as engine or trans-mission replacement. If time is not a factor, any trained character with a Crafts Automotive Specialty can repair a vehicle’s mundane issues without rolls. Complex modifications and enhancements or massive damage always requires a greater effort (an extended Intelligence + Crafts roll) to work out. 'Cache' Die Bonus +1 to +3, Durability 2, Size 1–5, Structure 5, Availability • to ••• Effect: A cache is a hidden and defensible place for items, usually weapons. It keeps important items from prying eyes. A cache can never be more than half the Size of its parent object. For example, a Size 6 car can support no larger than a Size 3 cache. A given cache can hold two items of its Size and any reasonable number of smaller-sized items. Its Availability determines its die bonus, which both adds to concealment rolls and subtracts from rolls to find the items within. 'Communications Headset' Die Bonus +2, Durability 0, Size 1, Structure 1, Avail-ability •• Effect:Communications headsets keep characters in constant contact. Different varieties works over different distances, but most commercial models works over about 200 feet. A common alternative is a conference call between cellular phones and Bluetooth headsets. If the users have practiced using their headsets together, they gain the die bonus on any coordinated efforts. In the case of a teamwork action, the die bonus only applies to the final roll. If the users are unpracticed, the bonus falls to +1 and actors must make reflexive Wits + Composure rolls to participate successfully. Any heavy objects can obstruct a headset’s signal. Any-thing obstructing with Durability higher than 3 requires listen-ers to make a Wits + Composure roll to understand shared messages. Levy a –1 penalty for each point of Durability over 4. 'Crime Scene Kit' Die Bonus +2, Durability 2, Size 3, Structure 2, Availability •• Effect:A crime scene (or CSI) kit is a toolbox full of investigative aids such as magnifiers, fingerprinting dust, cameras, tape, testing chemicals, and sample bags. While the kits offer a die bonus to Investigation rolls, the more important benefit of the CSI kit is that it allows evidence to be moved and digested elsewhere. Properly applied, it allows investigators to do the bulk of their work off-site and at their own pace. 'Code Kit' Die Bonus +5, Durability 1, Size 2, Structure 1, Avail-ability • Effect:A code kit is a series of tools created for the purpose of making and interpreting a code for a specific audience. A common example is a book code, where a page, paragraph, and word from a certain book are used as the foundation for a cypher. This keeps any uninformed eyes off the intended message. In the case of a book code, a book is often chosen that all message recipients can access easily. This guarantees that the code never has to travel with the code key. A successfully designed cypher is difficult to break. The die bonus acts as a penalty to any rolls to crack the code without the necessary reference key. 'Cracking Software' Die Bonus +2, Durability N/A, Size N/A, Structure N/A, Availability ••• Effect:Crappy software’s a dime a dozen. Good, reliable cracking software is hard to come by. With solid software, a hacker can force passwords, breach firewalls, and otherwise make a nuisance of herself in computer systems. Beyond the dice pool modification, the benefit such software offers is a sort of buffer between the hacker and security. Any efforts to track the hacker takes two steps; one to identify the software, then one to trace it back to the source. Functionally this means two rolls on behalf of the security personnel, with an opportunity for the hacker to withdraw before detection. 'Digital Recorder' Die Bonus +1 or +2, Durability 1, Size 1, Structure 2, Availability • or •• Effect:In the last decade, digital audio recorders have gotten smaller, more effective, and more affordable. Now, any student can carry a coin-sized device that would have put intelligence agencies of the 1980s to shame. The cheaper model of recorder gives its +1 bonus to any rolls to catch words or sounds. The bonus also applies to concealment rolls. The more expensive model gives +2. With an Intelligence + Computer (with die bonus), a character can contest any rolls to obscure discussion or mask noises. 'Duct Tape' Die Bonus +1, Durability 1, Size 1, Structure 2, Availability • Effect:Duct tape has as many uses as one can think of, and just as many you never would. It can reinforce barricades, stabilize weapon handles, bind prisoners, repair broken pipes, and so much more. In most cases, duct tape can offer a +1 bonus to Crafts-related rolls. Alternatively, it can add a point of Durability to almost anything. If used as a restraint, rolls to break free suf-fer a –3 penalty, and must overcome the duct tape’s Structure. 'First Aid Kit' Die Bonus 0 or +1, Durability 1, Size 2, Structure 3, Availability • or •• Effect:A first aid kit contains all the necessary supplies to stabilize an injury and stop wounds from getting worse un-til the victim can find proper treatment. The one-dot version of the first aid kit does not offer a die bonus, it simply allows for treatment. The two-dot version offers a +1 to treatment rolls due to superior supplies. 'Flashlight' Die Bonus +1, Durability 2, Size 1, Structure 3, Availability • Effect:In a world of darkness, a flashlight can be a person’s best friend. It generally does what it’s supposed to; it helps cut a path through the unknown. Its die bonus subtracts from any penalties due to darkness, and adds to any rolls to search in the dark. A good flashlight can serve as a club in a pinch. As well, it can blind an unfortunate subject. A Dexterity + Athletics roll, subtracting an informed opponent’s Defense, will put the beam where it needs to be. The victim’s player may make a contested Stamina roll. If your character scores more successes than the subject, they’re blinded for one turn. Victims with especially acute senses are blinded for two turns. 'Glowstick' Die Bonus +2, Durability 1, Size 1, Structure 1, Availability • Effect:Glowsticks use a chemical mixture to summon forth enough light to see in a small area. Most commercial glowsticks last a couple of hours; police and other professional varieties can last twelve. Because they’re small, airtight containers, they serve the added benefit of being useful underwater or in the rain. Functionally, they work the same as a flashlight. However, they cannot be used to blind a target, since their soft glow is far less obtrusive than a flashlight’s beam. They’re also very conveniently worn, which can serve strategic purposes for a group operating in low-light conditions. A member will not go missing without being noticed so long as they have a glowing neon bar on their belt. GPS Tracker Die Bonus +3, Durability 2, Size 2, Structure 2, Avail-ability •• Effect:With the advent of the modern cellular phone, most modern people have a GPS-enabled device on their person at any given time. With a bit of know-how, and access to someone’s phone, your character can track their every move (provided those moves are not in caves, tunnels, or sewer systems). Some characters will trade GPS data in case one of the group becomes lost or if they have to follow someone without notice. Planting a phone on an unwitting subject can serve as a highly effective tracking device. 'Keylogging Software' Die Bonus +2, Durability N/A, Size N/A, Structure N/A, Availability •• Effect:Keylogging software does exactly one thing: It logs keystrokes on a computer. This is usually done to record incriminating data or passwords. Usually, keylogging software is coupled with software to transmit the data once captured. The challenge for the would-be intruder is installing the soft-ware. Email scams are an unreliable way to get onto a specific computer, but could fool one member of a large organization. A thumb drive is very effective, but requires direct, physical access to the recipient computer. The software’s die bonus offers an advantage to breach a network or to find important data. 'Luminol' Die Bonus +2, Durability 0, Size 1, Structure 1, Avail-ability • Effect:Luminol is a chemical that reacts to certain metals in human blood and other bodily fluids. The reaction causes a faint neon glow for about thirty seconds, visible in the dark. It comes in an aerosol can and will seek out faint traces, even after a thorough cleaning. In addition to showing the exact locations of violent crimes, luminol can assist in tracking wounded people and animals. Luminol’s die bonus applies to any roll to track by the fluid traces, or to piece together the details of a crime scene. Multi-Tool Die Bonus +1, Durability 3, Size 1, Structure 4, Availability • Effect:Sometimes, the need for mobility doesn’t allow for your character to carry around a full tool kit. In these cases, a multi-tool can be a lifesaver. From sawing to stripping wires, to opening bottles, to filing off serial numbers, a multi-tool can do the job in a pinch. The multi-tool offers a negligible die bonus on numerous Crafts and other assorted tasks, and most importantly, allows for rolls when sometimes they couldn’t be made for lack of proper equipment. While not made for use as a weapon, it can serve as one causing 0 lethal, but suffering a –1 penalty to hit. 'Personal Computer' Die Bonus +1 to +4, Durability 2, Size 3, Structure 2, Availability • to •••• Effect:In the developed world, almost every household has access to a personal computer. They vary in size, func-tionality, and price, from decade-old models that can barely surf the web to high-end machines that can process gigabytes of data per second. In today’s world, many lives revolve around computers. For some people, their entire careers and personal lives exist within digital space. The Availability of the computer determines its die bonus. 'Smartphones' Die Bonus +1 to +2, Durability 2, Size 1, Structure 1, Availability • to ••• Effect:By themselves, smartphones can make calls, send text messages and emails, take pictures, maintain an agenda, and search the web. With a bit of software, the Smartphone becomes the multi-tool of the electronic age. While it cannot accomplish the raw computing power of a full-sized personal computer, higher-end smartphones can manage almost all the same tasks with ease. Most major gadgets have been successfully replicated with smartphone applications. GPS scanning and tracking are staples of the amateur investigator. Facial recognition software finds a face in a crowd with relative accuracy. They can photograph and transcribe text, then translate ancient tomes. They can store a library’s worth of text and allow for automated searches. They offer directions with photographic assistance. The value of a mindless video game on a stakeout is often underestimated. 'Special Effects' Die Bonus +2, Durability 2, Size 5, Structure 3, Avail-ability ••• Effect:Special effects is a catch-all term for the tricks and chicanery used by amusement parks and stage magicians to fool witnesses. A character may use these as a distraction or a defense. For example, the Pepper’s Ghost illusion is relatively easy to set up with the right tools. It uses a large mirror and a sheet of glass, along with a model and a light source. It projects an illusion of the model’s reflection, and makes witnesses see a “ghost.” In addition to the die bonus, special effects generally fool their audience at first. A witness will fall for the trick, unless given good reason to be suspicious. This can waste valuable time or lead the witness into a trap. 'Surveillance Equipment' Die Bonus +2, Durability 2, Size 2, Structure 2, Availability ••• Effect:Standard surveillance equipment usually consists of motion detectors, cameras, and monitors. High-end versions may include infrared heat sensors, barometric scanners, r even more complex gear. Either way, the point of surveillance equipment is to survey, detect, and otherwise track who enters or leaves a location. Often, this also means locking down breached zones. Unless someone knows surveillance equipment exists and actively avoids it, his presence is noticed and recorded. If he tries to avoid it, contest his Dexterity + Stealth against the installing technician’s Intelligence + Computer or Intelligence + Crafts (for digital and analog systems, respectively). The technician may add the equipment’s die bonus. If the intruder scores more successes, he remains un-noticed. Otherwise, he goes on record. 'Survival Gear' Die Bonus +1 or +2, Durability 2, Size 2 or 3, Structure 3, Availability • or ••• Effect:Survival gear is the catch-all term for the various kits of equipment needed to survive in harsh environments. This could encompass tents, canned foodstuff, raingear, sleeping bags, sterile water, or any of the various things a person can use to survive the world outside their cushy homes. They come in two levels: a basic level and an advanced level. The basic level offers +1 and subtracts one from the effective level of environment, (see Extreme Environments, p. 213), while the advanced offers +2 and subtracts two from the effective environment level. This does not help with a level 4 environment. A resourceful character can jury rig or scavenge the necessary supplies for a basic survival gear, but an advanced set of gear requires very specialized equipment. Basic survival gear can assist with most any environment, but advanced survival gear must be catered to one particular type of environment. 'Talcum Powder' Die Bonus +2, Durability N/A, Size 1, Structure N/A, Availability • Effect:Talcum powder can keep a baby’s bottom from getting diaper rash, but it can also show the presence of the unseen, and show evidence of intrusion if placed at a portal of entry. If dusted with talcum powder, a character must achieve five successes on a Dexterity + Stealth roll to enter without a trace. Fewer successes will only obscure the specifics of their feet and hands. Some paranormal investigators use talcum powder as a way to give ghosts and other invisible entities a method for communication. 'Ultraviolet Ink' Die Bonus +2, Durability 1, Size 1, Structure 2, Avail-ability • Effect:Ultraviolet Ink, or invisible ink as it’s commonly called, is an outstanding way to relay messages in plain sight. Since the naked eye cannot perceive the ink without an ultra-violet light, a character can scrawl messages for other recipients in-the-know. It also allows for secretive information to be passed around through mundane channels. If someone’s being surveyed by nefarious forces, an ultraviolet message scribbled on a throwaway magazine is much easier to get into their home unmolested than, say, a suspicious letter slid through their door frame. If you need to mark a path to a secret hiding place, what better way to conceal the guiding marks? 'Physical Equipment' Equipment that offers a bonus to physical skill-based rolls. Anything from climbing gear to specific clothing. 'Battering Ram' Die Bonus +4, Durability 3, Size 4, Structure 8, Avail-ability •• Effect:The purpose of the battering ram is to bring down doors and other barricades with direct, focused force. A battering ram uses a Teamwork action (see the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 134), allowing up to four participants. The primary actor adds the ram’s die bonus to her roll. A ram ignores two points of Durability. 'Bear Trap' Die Bonus +2, Durability 3, Size 2, Structure 5, Avail-ability •• Effect:A bear trap is a large metal contraption that looks something like a set of deadly jaws. For this reason, they’re also commonly called jaw traps. When a human or large animal steps into the bear trap, it snaps shut on their leg. Due to the serrated edges on the trap, this can cause massive bleeding or even broken bones. The jaw trap causes 3L damage and ignores two points of armor or Durability. A character trapped in the jaws can attempt to escape as an instant action. Doing so requires a Strength + Stamina roll, with the trap’s die bonus as a penalty due to the distracting pain and the strength of the jaws. Failure on this roll causes another point of le-thal damage as the jaw digs in further. Creatures without opposable thumbs cannot escape this way and must rip themselves free. Any rolls to hide a bear trap suffer its die bonus as a penalty. They’re difficult to hide due to their awkward shape and weight. 'Caltrops' Die Bonus +2, Durability 2, Size 2, Structure 3, Avail-ability •• Effect:Caltrops are small, pointed pieces of metal, arranged in such a way that one point is always facing upward. This makes walking (or driving) through a patch of caltrops inconvenient and painful. These traits assume enough caltrops to fill a doorway or other narrow corridor. Moving through caltrops causes one point of lethal damage. Caltrops ignore a point of armor or Durability. To move through safely, a Dexterity + Athletics roll is required with the caltrops’ die bonus applied as a penalty to the roll. A character may only move half Speed (rounded down) while moving safely through caltrops. A character may hide caltrops, although it is difficult. A Wits + Larceny –3 roll is required, the caltrops’ die bonus does not apply to this roll. 'Camouflage Clothing' Die Bonus +2, Durability 1, Size 2, Structure 3, Avail-ability •• Effect:Camouflage clothing allows its wearer to blend in with her surroundings enough for the untrained eye to pass over. Effective camouflage must be catered to the environ-ment; greens and browns in the woodlands, shades of grey in an urban area. Proper camouflage adds its bonus to rolls to remain unnoticed. 'Climbing Gear' Die Bonus +2, Durability 3, Size 2, Structure 2, Avail-ability •• Effect:Climbing gear includes ropes, pulleys, handles, carabiners, hooks, and other assorted tools for scaling things. They serve a twofold purpose. First, they add their die bonus to the normal Strength + Athletics rolls for climbing. Second, if properly applied (with a Wits + Athletics roll), they prevent a character from falling more than ten feet at a time. 'Crowbar' Die Bonus +2, Durability 3, Size 2, Structure 4, Avail-ability • Effect:A crowbar is a curved piece of steel used to pry open shipping pallets, jammed doors, and other things a nor-mal person would be incapable of doing by hand. It adds to any dice rolls used to establish leverage. When prying things open, it also allows your character to ignore two points of Durability on the lock or barricade. Additionally, a crowbar can be used as a weapon (see p. 202). 'Firearm Suppressor' Die Bonus +2, Durability 2, Size 1, Structure 2, Avail-ability •• Effect: A firearm suppressor is popularly and misleadingly referred to as a silencer in cinema and other media. It’s a cylinder placed on the end of a gun barrel that changes and lightens the sound of a shot. A suppressor delivers many minor benefits, but two noteworthy advantages: short-range accuracy and concealment. 'Increased Accuracy: ' A suppressed firearm travels through a longer barrel and the muzzle crown evens the expulsion of hot gasses that can slightly affect trajectory. In game terms, reduce a suppressed gun’s damage rating by 1 due to the bullet’s subsonic flight (most handgun cartridges are naturally subsonic or noiseless enough in their supersonic state that this doesn't apply - rifles still count however), but increase the attack dice pool by 2 when firing at short range (doesn't count for pistols at all though). 'Position Concealer:' The sound changes dramatically, to the point where many people do not recognize the sound as that of a gunshot and are often unable to place where the lower tone came from. The muzzle flash is also reduced dramatically with a suppressor, helping to conceal a shooter’s position. A character trying to identify a suppressed shot must roll Wits + Firearms – 2. Any character searching for the shooter using the gun’s tells suffers a –2 penalty. 'Gas Mask' Die Bonus +5, Durability 1, Size 2, Structure 3, Avail-ability •• Effect:A gas mask is a filtration device placed over the face that defends against noxious chemicals in the air. With a working gas mask, a character can stand minor toxins for as long as he needs, whereas other characters might take damage over time or require rolls to remain conscious. Powerful toxins may still require rolls. A gas mask adds five dice to these rolls. 'Handcuffs' Die Bonus +2, Durability 4, Size 1, Structure 4, Avail-ability • Effect:A solid pair of steel handcuffs is made to restrain even a remarkably strong person. Applying handcuffs to an unwilling combatant is an additional option in a grapple. Roll Strength + Brawl – the opponent’s Strength. Success means the handcuffs are where they need to be. Breaking out of successfully applied handcuffs requires a Strength + Stamina – 4 roll. Each success on the roll reduces the Structure of the cuffs by 1. Cuffs reduced to 0 Structure snap open. Each attempt to escape causes 1 point of bash-ing damage. A character may also try to finagle their hands out of the cuffs. This requires a Dexterity + Athletics – 4 roll. Success allows for an escape, and causes one point of bashing dam-age. Failure on this roll causes one point of lethal damage, as the thumb jerks out of socket. Attempting to do anything requiring manual dexterity while cuffed incurs a –4 penalty, or –2 if the hands are cuffed in front. Witnesses are unlikely to behave favorably around a cuffed character, Social rolls against strangers incur a –3 penalty. Many police forces and security companies now prefer heavy duty plastic zip ties in place of handcuffs. While they’re slightly less durable (Durability 3), they incur a –5 penalty from behind or –3 from the front, because they can be far tighter on the wrists. They can also be cut free. 'Lockpicking Kit' Die Bonus +2, Durability 2, Size 2, Structure 2, Avail-ability •• Effect:A lockpicking kit consists of picks, tools, and rods for manipulating tumblers and opening locks. A good kit contains a wide array of tools to all but guarantee intru-sion of an analog lock. With such a kit and at least a dot of Larceny, a character can pick a lock without a roll if time is not an issue. If time is an issue, the die bonus applies to the Dexterity + Larceny rolls. At Availability •, a character may procure a portable lockpick. It has Size 1, Structure 1, and is far more concealable. However, it only offers a +1 bonus and doesn’t allow for picking without rolls since the kit realistically may not have the right tools for a given job. A lockpicking kit only works on mechanical locks. Digital locks require more specific hacking and code prediction. A character may procure a digital lockpick at Availability •••, but typically only works on one type of lock, such as the keycard locks used in hotels. Digital lockpicks can be Size 2, or Size 1 if crafted as an extension of a laptop computer or smartphone. 'Mace (Pepper Spray)' Die Bonus +1, Durability 2, Size 1, Structure 1, Avail-ability • Effect:Pepper spray, or “mace” as it’s commonly called, is a blend of chemicals (mostly capsaicin, the “hot” part of a chili) in a small spray can, designed to debilitate threats. Civilians use these devices in self-defense; police use them to subdue unruly criminals. Use of pepper spray requires a Dexterity + Athletics, or Dexterity + Firearms roll. Each yard is a range category, so one yard is short range, two yards is medium, three yards is long range. An opponent’s Defense applies, but in normal wind conditions, the die bonus ap-plies to the roll. Upon the first attack, the victim suffers the Stun Tilt (see p. 212). An opponent struck suffers a –5 penalty to all ac-tions. This penalty can be reduced by one for every turn spent rinsing the eyes with water. Commercial chemicals designed to clean the eyes will fully remove the penalty after a turn. 'Night Vision Goggles' Die Bonus +2, Durability 1, Size 2, Structure 1, Avail-ability •• Effect:Night vision goggles amplify low-light conditions, allowing characters to see when they otherwise could not. A character with night vision goggles does not suffer penalties for acting blind. Bright lights can render the wearer temporar-ily blinded, as if he had a flashlight shone in his eyes, but this can be remedied by using a mono-goggle, though the mono-goggle yields a -1 penalty to perception checks for only working on one eye. The mono-goggle also enables the user to maintain nightsight on one eye. 'Rope' Die Bonus +1, Durability 2, Size 3, Structure 2, Avail-ability • Effect:Rope is one of the oldest tools known to hu-mankind. It’s never left prominent use because of its simple and efficient utility. A good rope adds its die bonus to relevant Crafts rolls and anywhere else it would assist. As a binding agent, it resists breaking with a Durability (or ef-fective Strength) equal to its user’s Crafts score, due to the multiplicative effect of solid knots. An applicable Specialty adds one to the user’s Crafts score for this purpose. Some interrogators, shibari fetishists, and boy scouts alike special-ize in remarkable knot-tying, potentially rendering subjects completely and hopelessly immobile. 'Slick' Die Bonus +2, Durability N/A, Size N/A, Structure N/A, Availability •• Effect:Slick is a catch-all for mixtures of chemicals de-signed to cover an area and make it difficult to pass due to slippery and sticky conditions. Most slick lasts about an hour at effective slipperiness. Anyone walking in a covered area must succeed in a Dexterity + Athletics – 3 roll each turn to maintain footing. Failure results in the Knocked Down Tilt (see p. 211). Similarly, an object coated requires a Dexterity + Athletics – 3 to grasp it successfully. Because it dries rapidly, every fifteen minutes after application, all rolls to resist the slick gain a cumulative +1. 'Stun Gun' Die Bonus 0, Durability 2, Size 1, Structure 2, Avail-ability •, ••, or ••• Effect:A stun gun is designed to deliver an overwhelm-ing amount of electricity to an assailant in order to shut down her muscles and send her to the ground. As a defensive item, this gives the would-be victim time to run or get help. As an offensive item, it leaves the victim ready for restraint or worse. These devices come in two varieties (hand-held and ranged) and three intensities (1–3, corresponding to their Availabilities). The hand-held model has live leads on the edge of a handle and can be used as many as fifty times on one battery charge. The ranged model fires small wired darts up to fifteen feet away. While the ranged model has similar battery life, it uses a compressed air cartridge that requires replacement after each shot. Use of a handheld stun gun requires a Dexterity + Weaponry roll, penalized by the victim’s Defense. The ranged model uses Dexterity + Firearms, also penalized by the victim’s Defense. On a successful hit with either, the victim takes one point of lethal damage. The successes subtract from the victim’s next dice pool. With the ranged version, the darts remain in the victim’s body, adding three successes auto-matically each turn. They can be removed with a Strength + Stamina roll, with the initial successes penalizing the action. With the hand-held version, the attacker can attempt to main-tain the shock, which takes a Strength + Weaponry, penalized by the greater of the opponent’s Strength or Defense. Once the accumulated successes exceed the victim’s Size, the victim collapses in neuro-muscular incapacitation. Once the shock ends, this lasts for (10 – victim’s Stamina) in turns. Tactical gear Die Bonus 0, durability 3, size 2, Structure 3, Availability • to ••• Tactical equipment exists in all shapes and sizes. From a simple tactical belt to the most complex vest/carrier systems, the price ranges from practically nothing to severely expensive. While many professionals advertise these products differently and give mixed reviews based on their own preferences and experiences, many elite units such as the British SAS have made due with extremely simple setups for decades. The cheaper the rig, the less it fits as a rule of thumb. At the first dot of availability, the offered piece of equipment is a simple belt setup, maybe with some bandoleers or something similar to add to the build, it fits very little equipment without the addition of countless of extra bags (i. e. a WWII rig setup). The first dot version can thus be upgraded to a second dot version by expending another dot of resources. It's worth mentioning that the upgraded first dot version will not fit comfortably with any armor heavier than a light kevlar vest. The first dot version can fit basic working equipment; a gun holster, a multi-tool, a flashlight, a radio and a maxium of 6 magazine pouches (only 4 if other pouches aren't negated however), and other small equipment pouches that could fit, for instance; a camera, a canteen of water or a camelbak, a small first aid kit, grenades, a tablet, a phone, a baton or other small items. The upgraded first dot variant can easily fit ALL of the above described items. The second dot variant is a slightly more complex setup, how ever it doesn't fit much more equipment than the previous upgraded variant, in fact it in many cases fits less. Typically setups like these are designed for combat, where as the previous set up is more designed for guard duty and personal survival. The dot two variant fits over a heavy armor and can as a rule of thumb essentially fit all of the things mentioned before, so the only real advantage is that it now fits over bigger armor, it also optionally features a dump-pouch though, as well as a cut-away system. The dump-pouch allows the shooter to tactically reload without dropping his previously expended magazine and the cutaway system allows the user to drop the rig as a reflexive action. Finally the dot two variant also allows the user to carry twice as many magazines. The dot three variant is a more professional solution, typically this one comes combined with heavier armor. It's often specially designed to be able to resist weather and water. Gear like this comes with warranties that last a life time often. The three dot variant can fit an almost infinite amount of small pouches for various pieces of equipment. The special ability that tactical gear offers the user, is that the "quick-draw" ability, whether the melee or firearms variant, allows the user to quick-draw ANY item in the setup. If the user doesn't have the quick draw merit, he may still attempt to quick draw any weapon that is attached to the setup, by rolling firearms+dexterity. The same goes for tactical reloads of any magazine fed weapons. He may also attempt to quick draw any melee weapons in the setup by rolling melee+dexterity. A tactical setup doesn't confer any real penalties, but the slight addition of weight and discomfort means that using it for anything but a stationary post requires at least two dots of stamina. 'Social Equipment' Equipment that offers a bonus to social-skill based rolls. Anything from alluring clothing to raw cash. 'Cash' Die Bonus +1 to +5, Durability 1, Size 2, Structure 1, Availability • to ••••• Effect: This represents a wad of cash, a briefcase of money, an offshore bank account number, or some other lump sum. It can’t be reflected in the Resources Merit since it’s not a regular income. However, it can be expended to offer a bonus equivalent to its Availability on any social roll where a bribe could benefit. As well, it can be expended to purchase one item of equal Availability. For more complex uses, consider it a single month’s allotment of the same Resources. 'Contraband' Die Bonus +1 to +5, Durability 1, Size 2-4, Structure 1, Availability • to ••••• Effect:Similar to cash (above), contraband reflects a lump sum of valuable materials. In this case, it’s not monetary, it’s illegal. This might mean guns, drugs, or even smuggled truffles. Contraband can be used identically to cash, except only within certain circles. Not everyone will take stolen goods for payment. However, with a group that has a high demand for the item, the contraband is worth one dot rating higher (maximum 5). 'Disguise' Die Bonus +1 to +3, Durability 1, Size 3, Structure 2, Availability • to ••• Effect:A good disguise goes a long way to help fit in with a strange group or go unnoticed in a crowd where one doesn’t belong. Properly costumed for a situation, no rolls are required to blend into the crowd. Any rolls to actively detect the outsider suffer a penalty equal to the die bonus of the disguise; the disguised character also gains the bonus to remain hidden. With a disguise, a character can emulate the first dot of a single Social Merit that would make sense within the scope of the scene. For example, it doesn’t make money appear from thin air, but it would allow a character to get their drinks on a nonexistent tab, reflecting Resources •. This requires a Composure + Subterfuge to maintain in the face of anyone in the know, contested by the witness’s Wits + Subterfuge. The die bonus of the disguise applies to the liar, but does not affect the witness. 'Fashion' Die Bonus +1 to +3, Durability 1, Size 2, Structure 1, Availability • to ••••• Effect:Never underestimate the value of high fashion. Like a disguise, fashionable clothing allows a character to fit in. However, the point of fashion is to draw attention, not to fade into the crowd. As opposed to anonymity, fashion means being noticed. Note that the clothing chosen must be appropriate to the setting. Punk chic will not work at a Senator’s fundraiser, for example. When improperly dressed, the die bonus applies as a penalty to all Social Skill rolls. The die bonus for Fashion is equal to half the Avail-ability, rounded up. 'Housing' Die Bonus +1 to +5, Durability 4+, Size 12+, Structure 8+, Availability • to ••••• Housing reflects a place to lay one’s head. The Avail-ability score determines the size, location, and relative luxury of the building. One dot may reflect a tiny apartment in a terrible part of town, three dots a three-bedroom home in a suburb, while five could mean a penthouse condo downtown or a sprawling mansion. 'Makeup Kit' Die Bonus +1, Durability 1, Size 2, Structure 3, Avail-ability ••• Effect:A good makeup kit can not only disguise a character in a pinch, but can help to sell a story. With ten minutes of preparation, a makeup kit’s die bonus applies to any applicable Social rolls. A makeup kit can also help to build a narrative. Want to convince someone that you’ve been beaten? It’s not hard to fake a black eye. Want to walk through the vampire club without drawing attention and undue fangs? A little pancake makeup and rouge goes a long way. With makeup applied, subtract the die bonus from any dice rolls to detect her true identity. 'Polygraph Machine' Die Bonus +3, Durability 1, Size 3, Structure 4, Avail-ability ••• Effect:Polygraph machines detect heart rates, sweat, and breath using electrodes and stethoscopes. For many people, this can guide a skilled user in determining honest and decep-tive behaviors. Both digital and analog models exist and they work similarly. A digital model is often smaller (Size 2), but gives the same bonus. When used by a trained practitioner (requiring Medicine • or greater), a polygraph machine offers its die bonus to any rolls to detect lies. 'Supernatural Equipment' Supernatural equipment is equipment that relates to supernatural affairs. 'Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Detector' Die Bonus +2, Durability 1, Size 1, Structure 2, Avail-ability • Effect:An electromagnetic field detector is a small, handheld device that detects trace electromagnetic fieldsin appliances and home wiring. They’re common tools for electricians and are easily available at hardware and electron-ics supply stores. In the supernatural world, though, they’re popular ghost hunting tools, as some ghosts emit soft elec-tromagnetic fields, particularly when using their Numina. Add the EMF detector’s die bonus to any roll to search for ghosts or their traces. If your character is actively watching an EMF detector when a ghost uses its Numina, the device spikes with strong results. No roll is required for this effect. 'Energy Meter' Die Bonus +1, Durability 1, Size 2, Structure 2, Availability ••• Effect:An energy meter is a device, technological or mystical, that supposedly detects the emanations of the supernatural. Some energy meters are radios tuned to a dead channel, with the variations in white noise the gauge. Some are crystals on pendulums, moving in the face of the otherworldly. Dowsing rods are another common tool used as an energy meter.Unlike an EMF detector, an energy meter detects loca-tions that are haunted or otherwise mystically charged. It works without fail when in the right places. An EMF detector picks up the traces and trails of actual entities, albeit unreli-ably. When in a place of supernatural influence, an energy meter activates without a die roll. Its die bonus applies to rolls to convince witnesses that a place is either influenced by the supernatural or absent of the supernatural. When procuring an energy meter, choose a type of creature. Functionally, it acts as the Unseen Sense Merit (see p. 175). For example, an energy meter to detect werewolves may be a holly wand dipped in silver, or a vampire-detecting meter may be a bowl of holy water that ripples when the undead approach. 'Flash Cotton/Paper' Die Bonus +2, Durability 0, Size 1, Structure 1, Avail-ability • Effect:Flash paper and flash cotton are chemically treated bits of paper or cotton that burn very quickly and flash into nothingness in under a second. The nitrocellulose burns so fast that it’s not dangerous for the user. Flash paper is a common part of a magician’s arsenal of tricks and was traditionally used as a flash for photography. It also serves as a highly effective ward against things intimidated by fire. Vampires, some ghosts, and many types of zombie are afraid of fire and will flee on sight. This serves the dual function of identifying such monsters in a crowd, as they’ll often flinch or hiss as they resist their impulses to run or kill. When a creature weak against fire sees flash paper, it must succeed in a Resolve + Composure roll to resist recoiling. If the character knows what she is looking for (that is, she lit the flash paper near the creature deliberately to check its reaction), the player can apply a Condition such as Exposed or Shaken to the creature. 'Grave Dirt' Die Bonus +2, Durability 1, Size 2, Structure 3, Avail-ability ••• Effect:For reasons unknown, ghosts and other unseen entities find Manifestation easier in the presence of grave dirt. Those trying to interact with such a being can use a bag of such dirt to help those interactions along. Grave dirt is easy to find but difficult to procure. Anyone digging a grave without permission is likely to draw a lot of unwanted scrutiny. This reflects a twenty pound bag, which will cover about five square feet of space. Any ghost or spirit attempting to Manifest or use other Nu-mina on the dusted site may add the dirt’s die bonus. They are not forced or even compelled to Manifest, they just find it easier. 'Incense' Die Bonus +1, Durability 1, Size 2, Structure 1, Avail-ability •• Effect:Incense has long been a common feature of magical practices in most cultures. It’s no coincidence that incense is so very ubiquitous in mysticism; it does offer limited advantages in supernatural situations. Every type of incense has symbolic meaning and use. For example, anise is good for meditation, bergamot for prosperity, myrrh for healing, and sage to ward off evil. So long as the incense burned symbolically matches the action, its die bonus can be used in rolls for any Supernatural Merit. With Storyteller permission, it can be used with alternative mystical powers from other World of Darkness game lines. 'Kirlian Camera' Die Bonus +2, Durability 1, Size 2, Structure 2, Avail-ability ••• Effect:A Kirlian camera uses a series of photographic techniques and high voltage exposure to capture “auras.” These odd photos have been the center of many pseudosci-entific studies. While the “auras” say little factually about a given person, they can reveal a creature’s nature as something not natural. As well, they can show traces of the supernatural on-scene. Vampires have no Kirlian aura. Other monsters of the World of Darkness have a warped, strange aura that looks nothing like a human aura. Each type of supernatural aura is different, but the process is hardly exact. A Kirlian camera’s die bonus applies to rolls to identify the supernatural in a situation. It doesn’t assist in identifying the spe-cifics. It only assists in placing something as natural or unnatural. 'Protective Amulet' Die Bonus +2, Durability 2, Size 1, Structure 2, Avail-ability ••• Effect:Any chain bookstore has books full of instruc-tions for crafting amulets and baubles to defend against evil. These franchise fetishes do nothing more than breed undue confidence in their wearers. True protective amulets are few and far between, but they can save lives. They take many forms, from a shell containing cat’s eye, to an abraxas amulet, to a lucky horse shoe. Any time the wearer of a true protective amulet is subject to harmful magic, the amulet adds its die bonus to any rolls to resist. However, any time a harmful spell achieves an exceptional success, the amulet shatters, causing one point of lethal damage to its wearer and often alerting the sorcerer. 'Salt' Die Bonus +2, Durability 1, Size 1, Structure 1, Availability • Effect:Salt represents purity in many cultures. This purity holds the unnatural at bay. Ethereal creatures such as ghosts and demons cannot pass through an unbroken line of salt. If all portals into a building are lined with salt, ethereal creatures cannot even force their way through walls or ceilings. If actively used in an Abjuration (see p. 231), salt adds its die bonus. If a spirit tries to use Numina to break a salt line, it must spend Willpower to make the attempt and suffers the die bonus as a penalty to the activation. The Willpower does not add to the roll. If salt is integrated into a weapon, for example in buckshot, the weapon becomes able to harm ghosts. Any successful hit causes the ghost to lose Corpus equal to the successes rolled (the damage rating of the weapon does not add to this) and forces the ghost to Discorporate for that many turns. Note, however, that the weapon or ammunition doesn’t stop at the ghost. A character who shoots a shotgun loaded with rock salt at a Manifested phantom might damage it, but will also damage whatever is behind it. Fantasy setting Equipment intended for a Medieval Fantasy setting 'Military Backpack' These backpacks were mass-produced for the legion, but are quite wide-spread among travellers and ordinary foke. Made out of leather, with internal, but replaceable carrying frames. Most of them have one big internal room with a cord-lock, and typically 3 external rooms with buckle locks, and extra straps for additional equipment. The backpacks are usually close to 70 l, +/- 10 l, but there are small packs as well, although a bit rarer. 'Bedroll' Bedrolls exist in various qualities, from being just a thick bundle of blankets, to being a top quality leather sleeping bag with fur lining, that can be used stand-alone outdoors, keeping the user both dry and warm. 'Tent' Tents also exist in varieties of qualities, from being made of thick cloth which provides some basic wind-protection and privacy in larger camps, to a leather tent that offers protection against rain and wind. Tents are relatively heavy, depending on their size (Some tents are basically just a single sheet with 3 small poles), but are entirely necessary for travellers. 'Snow Shoes' Snow shoes are commonly found amongst all travellers who frequent regions where snow falls. Allows faster travelling in deep snow. 'Climbing gear' Ropes, hooks, harness and other climbing aids. Relatively heavy, but having the option to to scale mountaint ranges instead of travelling around them is invaluable to some travellers. 'Basic camping gear' Includes a cooking pot with a lid that can double as a frying pan, two small rods to hold it above the flames, flint and tinder, a small fire axe, a hand shovel, water skins (yes, plural), a wooden bowl, spoon, multi-purposeknife and a fork, a tankard with a lid, rags, small bags with cord locks, 'Hunting kit' A hunting bow (a small, relatively powerful bow) or hunting crossbow (essentially just a crossbow, although not desgined to shoot through hardened metal sheets), hunting knife (large kurved knife). 'Medical kit' Not as rare as one might think in a more educated medieval society. Sterilized bandages, destilled alcohol in glass bottles, clean boiled water in glass bottles, various salves and pastes, as well as small mixtures, sewing kit (needle and thread), sterilized cloth gloves, soap and chocolate packed in a sturdy wooden case. They are pricy, but most homes have them, and smaller versions were issued to all legionaires since the dawn of the legion. 'clothes' Normal clothes are practical and used for work, consisting of breeches (loose fit underpants), a pair of pants and socks with straps to hold them up, undershirts and some sort of appropriate jacket or vest, and shoes. Women tend to wear dresses instead, but prefer pants for some professions. Usually a hat. 'Fine clothes' Worn mostly to fine dinners and church, is generally the same as the practical clothes, but less worn, in fancier make and with decorations. A fancy hat. 'Warm Clothes' Heavy slick boots worn with gaiters typically. Often, either water repellant gaiters are worn, or warm gaiters are worn. Obviously some compromises exist where gaiters can do both. Fur vests are often worn to keep warm, vests with skirts are worn in the heavy winter times. leather cloaks lined with fur on the inside are common amongst travellers. A warm fur hat. Scarf. 'Carrying gear' Known as a rig or harness as well, it's similar to the currently near out-faced vietnam era military rigs, consiting of belts attatched to bandoliers with shoulder pads (typically), and belt-bags a-plenty. Used by most travellers, including soldiers, mercenaries and legionaires. Made out of leather or canvas. Can be worn over armor. 'Personal defence weapons' Daggers, small-swords (basically a short rapier - used by the wealthy who can afford training with them), clubs, hand-axes. Weapons carried by people, legally, when in need of personal protection. Allowed to be worn inside city limits even, although not when martial law has been delcared.